Skip to main content

Thought for the Day: If It's True Then It's in the Torah

If I were to ask you where you see in the Torah a source for the expresssion, "a stitch in time saves nine", you'd probably think me daft.  Actually, you know me pretty well by now, so you'd more likely just roll your eyes and say, "I don't know; where?"

Before you go rolling your eyes too much, though, please take a look at Bava Kama 92, where Rava asks Raba bar Mari where he sees a source for about several common expressions.  The exchange begins with Rava sking Raba bar Mari for the source in the Torah of the rabinic dictum that whoever prays for his friend, and he (the pray-er) needs the same thing (that the pray-ee) needs, he (the pray-er) will be answered first?  Not too surprising that a ma'amar Chazal would have a source in Torah.  But then the discussion continues asking about such expression as:
  • The cabbage gets struck by the thorn bush (ie, when pulling weeds growing among the cabbages, sometimes a cabbage gets uprooted accidently).
  • Poverty follows the poor.
  • The wine belongs to the king, but the waiter gets the thanks.
Obviously Rava is not just shooting the breeze with his friend in beis medrash.  More than asking seriously, Rava will even argue with Raba bar Mari about his source!  Generally, with Raba bar Mari brings a source from k'suvim or n'vi'im, Rava will counter with a source from chumash.

What's going on here?  I had an idea, but really wanted to look around before I said anything.  I opened my Vagshal Bava Kama and found they have added a section called "hagah'os v'chidushim"; a collection from lots of diferent sources and arranged by the daf.  There it was, from a sefer Einei Shmuel (R' Shmuel Aaron Raven, av beis din Kortshin); my paraphrase:
A common expression is something that strikes a chord in the human psyche and speaks to the truth of the matter.  As is known, no true matter is missing from the Torah.  Therefore, anything that is true must perforce have a source in the Torah.  That is why the amora'im will search for the source of common expressions.
Besides the lessons that Chazal want to draw from events in the Torah, they also want to make a point: if it's true, then it's in the Torah; if it's not in the Torah, then it's not true.

I'm not sure where you'd find a source for, "a stitch in time saves nine", but here's a really cool fact: it is an anagram for "this is meant as incentive".  Yep.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thought for the Day: Pizza, Uncrustables, and Stuff -- What Bracha?

Many years ago (in fact, more than two decades ago), I called R' Fuerst from my desk at work as I sat down to lunch.  I had a piece of (quite delicious) homemade pizza for lunch.  I nearly always eat at my desk as I am working (or writing TftD...), so my lunch at work cannot in any way be considered as sitting down to a formal meal; aka קביעת סעודה.  That being the case, I wasn't sure whether to wash, say ha'motzi, and bentch; or was the pizza downgraded to a m'zonos.  He told if it was a snack, then it's m'zonos; if a meal the ha'motzi.  Which what I have always done since then.  I recently found out how/why that works. The Shulchan Aruch, 168:17 discusses פשטיד''א, which is describes as a baked dough with meat or fish or cheese.  In other words: pizza.  Note: while the dough doesn't not need to be baked together with the meat/fish/cheese, it is  required that they dough was baked with the intention of making this concoction. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thought for the Day: What Category of Muktzeh are Our Candles?

As discussed in a recent TftD , a p'sak halacha quite surprising to many, that one may -- even לכתחילה -- decorate a birthday cake with (unlit, obviously) birthday candles on Shabbos. That p'sak is predicated on another p'sak halacha; namely, that our candles are muktzeh because they are a כלי שמלאכתו לאיסור and not  מוקצה מחמת גופו/intrinsically set aside from any use on Shabbos. They point there was that using the candle as a decoration qualifies as a need that allows one to utilize a כלי שמלאכתו לאיסור. Today we will discuss the issue of concluding that our candles are , in fact, a כלי שמלאכתו לאיסור and not מוקצה מחמת גופו. Along the way we'll also (again) how important it is to have personal relationship with your rav/posek, the importance of precision in vocabulary, and how to interpret the Mishna Brura.  Buckle up. After reviewing siman 308 and the Mishna Brura there, I concluded that it should be permissible to use birthday candles to decorate a cake on Sha...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thought for the Day: Why Halacha Has "b'di'avad"

There was this Jew who knew every "b'di'avad" (aka, "Biddy Eved", the old spinster librarian) in the book.  When ever he was called on something, his reply was invariably, "biddy eved, it's fine".  When he finally left this world and was welcomed to Olam Haba, he was shown to a little, damp closet with a bare 40W bulb hanging from the ceiling.  He couldn't believe his eyes and said in astonishment, "This is Olam Haba!?!"  "Yes, Reb Biddy Eved,  for you this is Olam Haba." b'di'avad gets used like that; f you don't feel like doing something the best way, do it the next (or less) best way.  But Chazal tell us that "kol ha'omer HaShem vatran, m'vater al chayav" -- anyone who thinks HaShem gives partial credit is fooling himself to death (free translation.  Ok, really, really free translation; but its still true).  HaShem created us and this entire reality for one and only one purpose: for use...
Post a Comment
Read more